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Unjust Or Misguided Public Policy

Claimant's opinion: Details are, as noted, above.

Commercial / Other Dispute

Other

Claimant's opinion: Refusing to make scheduled stop with extraordinary inconvenience to the two individuals who had been waiting and who had paid for their tickets and were arbitrarily being denied access to their planned destinations, timetables, and employment plans.

"My daughter, ****, was to have traveled to Frederick, Maryland, at 7 am, today, to begin a new job. Her employer had purchased a ticket from Greyhound Bus Line for my daughter's trip to Maryland, starting at 7-11 store on Maine St., Brunswick, Maine, with connections in Boston, NYC, and Baltimore.

The bus did not stop at 7-11. I checked with two of the morning attendants at 7-11 who informed me that they had had a phone conversation with the driver in which he said he would not stop. They told him "You have to stop-you have two ladies waiting for you, here", but he refused.

My daughter called me. I drove to town and bought her a ticket to Boston via Concord LInes and loaned her money to make alternate connections in case she cannot get restitution from Greyhound. And it is uncertain, at this point, whether or when she will reach her destination.

I spoke with the other lady who had been stood up by Greyhound. She had phoned her boyfriend who was actually on that bus with a plan to meet her, there, and ride to Boston together, and he told her that the driver had insisted on bypassing the 7-11 stop altogether.

My wife, Mare, and I tried calling Greyhound Customer Service and were finally able to get through to a customer rep after being placed on hold for twenty minutes, however the lady said she could not take nor give any information because we were a third party-that we would have to have either our daughter or her employer (who had purchased the ticket) or both, call.

My daughter had, already, called but, thus far, has gotten nowhere. My wife and I did call *** employer and she is going to try to obtain some sort of restitution from Greyhound.

I would ask you, please, to take some action against Greyhound to encourage them to be more accountable and to discourage them from abusing and screwing customers in these ways in the future.

This has caused much inconvenience (and the inconvenience is just beginning), and for a customer svce rep to tell us "We're sorry for you inconvenience" and give us the run-around is simply not adequate.

"Fareya makes a good point in emphasizing that an incident of this kind can have serious consequences for anyone, regardless of the the fact that in this case a workaround was found. A passenger with a ticket on public carrier has a contract—i.e. a ticket—that calls for transportation originating and ending at specific times and places. Possibly there are circumstances that would allow a driver to override a passenger’s contract, but there doesn’t seem to be any evidence of that here.

The underlying problem may be organizational / structural. What is Greyhound? Is it a unified corporation or a collection of franchisees, each with its own territory / routes? I don’t know if it is one or the other, but if “Greyhound Lines, Inc. (Maine Branch)” is a franchisee, this may partly explain why a driver might be able to disregard a scheduled stop and get away with it. Brands that deliver their service through franchisees often have trouble assuring consumers consistent standards and a uniformly quality experience. Regardless, the brand “Greyhound” let this passenger—and her employer, and her family—down.

It seems to me the passenger is entitled to an apology from Greyhound; her employer is entitled to a refund for the ticket that wasn’t honored; and the company should offer her a goodwill gesture more convincing than the $75 voucher reported today by Sophie Blythe. John Gilliand’s suggestion, below, for an adequate makegood, or something like it, might be a smart move for Greyhound in this case. The claimant settlement terms say “Make me happy.”"

Greyhound is responsible for upholding its terms and conditions of purchase. The company's terms and conditions state that the carriers are not responsible for a delay in travel caused by factors such as a breakdown, inclement weather, or road conditions. In this case, the bus driver seems to have totally disregarded the company's policies by refusing to stop at the 7-11 store to pick the claimant's daughter as well as the other passenger(s). However, the company had a responsibility to provide alternative travel arrangements, which it failed to do.
Greyhound should reimburse the employer for the initial ticket since it did not deliver the service as promised under ticket purchasing terms and conditions. Greyhound should also reimburse the claimant's daughter for the second ticket so that she may be able to reimburse her mother for mom's out-of-pocket expense to purchase the replacement ticket. And due to the inconvenience that Greyhound caused, offer the daughter another $100 of her choice in a traveling voucher or cash.
Also, Greyhound should give the claimant and her daughter a written apology for their customer service experience. And also investigate it's internal practices and find out the reason why the driver refused to abide by the company's policies. More...Vote for this

Greyhound has offered $75 in voucher form - daughter may not ever want to travel Greyhound again - and daughter also has to pay cash to employer. What about settling with Greyhound gives cost of ticket plus $100 cash to daughter plus explanation of why the bus didn't stop? More...Vote for this

Reliable transportation services (air, rail or bus), telecommunication services and financial institutions (banks), courier (such as DHL) are essential to the proper functioning of the society.
Whether you are operating a bus line or an airline, you owe a duty to act responsibly. The businesses of people traveling by bus is no less important than the businesses of people who book a private charter. It is essential that transport companies understand the importance of the service they offer and integrate that sense of responsibility into their staff as well. Every person purchasing a ticket to go from point A to point B is deserving and must be expected to rely on timetables, stops and schedules. Otherwise the system would collapse. People travel for a purpose, whatever that purpose is, its relevance is not for us to judge, the point is it is meaningful to that person in his/her circumstances. This lady could have lost a real job opportunity but would not have been able to claim those loss of earnings due to remoteness of damage. It is therefore my view that Greyhound Bus Lines:
a) identify the cause and upon whose directions the driver did not stop at the scheduled stop so proper investigation can determine the moral blame and neglect;
b) as a minimum and notwithstanding the above, Greyhound Bus Lines must offer a credit note equivalent of some 5-10 return trips as retribution, thus also setting a precedent for other bus liners and also send a message to its employees that such practices are not going to be overlooked. Client's complaints will be heard, and action will be taken to correct it. Thus, underpin the sense of responsibility that comes with the service of transportation offering which each bus driver is a part of; and
c) issue a confirmation addressed particularly to the claimant as to what steps it has taken to ensure that this lapse of service will not take place again.
I do not propose a monetary compensation of any amount as that would a) open floodgates to all sorts of frivolous claims; and b) out of fear of which even Greyhound will strongly resist any claim. I believe businesses want to admit lapses and want to help, but act against their business ethic for the fear of becoming the victim of 'compensation culture'. In the process people with even legitimate claims get nothing.
The purpose is not to hand out money every time something is less than par excellence, this type of decision will become a breeding ground for free riders i.e. those who use the 'justice' dispensed to a legitimate claim to take a free ride of their own. This is the very reason why corporations resist claims vigorously, they do not want to set a precedent.
The solution should be fit for purpose, not hateful, spiteful. Claimant should feel justly treated, and bus lines should be compelled to take a look at their actions.
Frankly, I do not also find that the claimant suffered any loss that requires monetary compensation, if at all, and one that was a direct and foreseeable one. The claimant is right, but has not suffered an economic loss that Greyhound can reasonably be expected to compensate.
I also believe the claimant's pivotal complaint is the dismissiveness of Greyhound. Instead of answering a query, Greyhound created more obstacles by demanding to speak to the traveler or ticket owner. It is a bus line open to all members of public, not an exclusive country club. Every member of public is entitled to ask why the bus didn't stop at point x or y. I am afraid that Greyhound did not help itself in how they addressed the matter. For that I believe Greyhound should give (a) and (c)
To conclude, I believe the claimant will have its restitution in solution (a),(b) and (c) above. The claimant will feel heard and see something being done about it, know that the bus line has had to address its shortcoming, put its human resources on this matter. It will also force Greyhound to reflect upon its operation services and improve it, benefiting everyone and also itself. More...Vote for this

I like your very rational and just thought process on this. However, I believe that the possibility of having to hand out monetary compensation keeps a company on the straight and narrow. Bus stops are frequently located in very dodgy parts of town, and failure to stop for passengers can cause a) real physical danger to the passenger and b) economic harm. If no other transportation were quickly available, the passenger could be left out in bad/freezing temperatures and/or have to pay for accommodation. Of course Greyhound should be aware of this and do the right thing. However, they haven't done it so far. In general, the function of customer service for big companies is to minimize issues. I think having to pay compensation would teach Greyhound to pay better attention to the safety and welfare of their passengers and also have a greater responsibility to the public.

Greyhound should not use "privacy" as a "get out of jail free" card! Greyhound, give this parent an explanation. More...Vote for this

As a dad I would want to do what the father of girls abused by Larry Nasser did - "lunge" at the culprit. How dare Greyhound leave your daughter stranded! It is disrespectful and dangerous! OK they need to negotiate the actual compensation directly with your daughter and the other passenger, but that does not prevent them from giving you a very good explanation of exactly what happened that a certain bus didn't make a scheduled stop.

Greyhound should refund ticket, pay customers $500 for stress and inconvenience, and investigate and explain this incident. More...Vote for this

This is appalling. If not one but TWO Greyhound customers had booked tickets for a route, Greyhound has no possible excuse for leaving them on the side of the road unless the bus had been in a crash or broken down - in which case, they should have informed the passengers and provided alternate transportation.

What did this driver think was going to happen to the people who were counting on him? What would have happened if, say, the passenger was a young girl who was assaulted while waiting for a non-existent bus? Greyhound would be sued into the ground, not to mention the very bad PR, because they have an ethical duty to their passengers as well as needing to honor their contracts.

If this were my own child who'd been left waiting, I'd pursue Greyhound to the ends of the earth. Shocking. I believe that Greyhound should give you a very good explanation of what happened and why it will never happen again,

I would like to insist that the money be paid directly to my daughter, Kristin, as she tells me she has been in touch with Greyhound customer service and that they are offering her only a voucher worth $75.00. Also, she tells me that her employer is, now, requiring her to pay her for the Greyhound ticket.

So inasmuch as: (1) Greyhound has stated they will not deal with me or my wife; (2) They are attempting to "short-shrift" my daughter inspite of your recommendation; and (3) My daughter's employer is leaving it up to my daughter to settle the matter while requesting that Kristen reimburse her, I think, now, that it is only fair that Greyhound abide by your recommendation and that compensation/restitution go directly to my daughter. Thankyou.

Yesterday, my wife and received a call from Greyhound Customer Svce stating they could not respond to us because we are a third party. They left a message on our phone mail stating we should have either our daughter or her employer (who purchased the ticket) call them. We spoke to our daughter, and we tex'd the number to her.

I mostly just care about whatever the cost my daughter and her employer at out (plus the $28.00 I paid to hire Continental Bus Lines to take her to Boston). I feel an explanation and apology are in order-that there is no deniability or "miscommunication" alibi. I am not looking to fire the driver, either, but I think he should be reprimanded in strong enough terms that this sort of thing is not allowed to go on.

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